Having decided I would get a good nights sleep knowing the GNSS kit will be working down here in these conditions I decided to unpack the Topcon HiPER HR’s and switch on the base and rover, now 2am….
The receivers found the required satellites (locked on to 18!) and within a few minutes were reporting a fixed solution. That was great feeling. There is no reason they should not do their job, but with radios and extreme temperatures it’s always better to “know”.
Now I could definitely sleep.
The flight on the Russian made transport plane was a new experience but better than I was expecting, as we had pretty comfortable seats. Not the bench seats original fitted for troops which I had prepared myself for. We even had in flight catering and a camera mounted in the nose so we could watch the take off and our first glimpse of Antartica.
The flight took about 4.5 hours and was cooler and noisier than normal passenger flights, but we were dressed for Antartica and were going to be there very soon!!!
Union Glacier runway is on Blue Ice which is why wheeled aircraft such as the Ilyushin can land. This area was surveyed by a team in 2007 which included Stuart Proctor from Topcon to prepare the area to be established as a registered runway. It’s now very well set up and has also been used to land private jets and even an Icelandic Air Boeing 757 too. Blue Ice runways are exactly as their name suggests. Very solid established dense blue ice. The ice is generally kept clear of snow by the strong katabatibc winds. More info – https://antarctic-logistics.com/2016/08/29/blue-ice-airfields/
Olga a fellow passenger mentioned it was her birthday, so of course she should climb down the steps first. She was met by friends already at the glacier on a climbing trip in the area. 
We had a few minutes to take photos and soak up this very special place. We didn’t need to hang around long to feel the true effect of the cold and those katabatibc winds. Climbing aboard our transfer vehicles to take us the 10Km to camp:
We had a quick introduction tour of the camp and facilities and it was time for dinner including a celebratory birthday cake and champaign in honour of Olga. This place is well catered!
By now it was about 2am, but with 24hour sunlight it definitely didn’t feel late. I decided to take all the kit to my tent first, before turning in.
After a false start this morning due to gusty conditions in Punta, we have been picked up at the hotel with our Carry on baggage and dressed for the cold as it’s expected to be -14 when we land. The temperature onboard will be a comfortable 12 degrees.
Olivia takes care of us all the way to the plane. Great passenger service by ALE as usual.
Airport security cleared and a short wait we transfer to our plane. Disinfectant trays at the bottom of the steps to clean the already scrubbed boots.
It is more comfortable on board than I was expecting for the 4.5hrs flight.
Inflight safety briefing over and we will be off.
I’ve got a survey to do…. I will tweet from Antartica to update my experiences @stigij
I should now be in Antarctic and will be sending regular messages home via satellite comms follow the journey on twitter @stigij
I will be writing the blog and upload the pages when I return.
Here goes……….
A knock at the door confirmed it was time to hand over my personal check in luggage which is weighed along with my camera and drone bag on the pavement. This is the height of service of Kerbside check in!
The day was “at leisure” and I decided after chatting to a returning climber at breakfast, I would learn the basics about the satellite comms links available and set myself up with a Garmin In Reach. This is a personal safety device which can be used for messaging and GPS navigation.
https://explore.garmin.com/en-US/inreach/
After playing around for a couple of hours and with some “confirmation” help from Stefan in Germany, I have one set up, connected with my phone and can send and receive short text messages. I have even linked this to my twitter feed so you might get the occasional message from Antartica too. Wow – IOT is global.
Garmin software is great to use and I’ve always been a fan of their devices. For anyone traveling remote or for those who want to ensure they have basic communication “Anywhere” it is a great little gadget. I can even see the benefit of this when I’m cycling in the South Wales hills where there is often no phone signal.
The evening briefing held at ALE offices was off to a great start when I was handed a local speciality – Pisco Sour with some very special Ice.
I met some of the fellow passengers I will be travelling with. A team from South Korea TV series filming the next episode of ” Law of the Jungle”. Well know across Asia the team travel the world and have to “Survive”
The cast will have a series of challenges when we arrive, which one of the directors was keeping very quite. That should be amusing to watch… I wonder if it’s similar in style to those crazy Japanese reality shows? They have started the cameras rolling already……
An informative briefing by Olivia really got the excitement levels up and there is a round of applause when the wether briefing is confirmed. It’s looking good for a clear window at our planned departure time. Being a relatively small group we are agile and can be called to be ready for pick up with 30 minutes notice in the morning. I’ll certainly be ready early for this flight and I have my best boarding pass ever in my hand.
Having completed all the necessary preparation, I decided to rent a bike and stretch the legs. Spotting what might become “my favourite” shop on route – I will have to save that for later.
What I quickly discovered on the bike is that there are some steep roads, traffic is very careful at junctions and boy is it windy out of town…
I took a random ride of roads on the South side of town and then headed North towards the museum holding a replica of Magellan’s ship. North side of town was significantly wealthier with some smart houses but just as windy. I’d swear I had a head wind in both directions along the straight of Magellan !
The replica of Spain’s Ferdinand Magellan’s ship NAO Victoria is impressive as long as you are 3 foot tall – how they lived for so long in those conditions and circumnavigated the world I can’t image.
There was also a replica of the British HMS Beagle which undertook 3 surveying Expeditions including visiting Patagonia in 1826 and 1836 which looked significantly more “comfortable” than Magellan’s ship.
What impressed me the most though was Shackleton’s “life boat” which was dragged across the ice and then sailed in the Southern Ocean in the hope of finding help to come back and rescue his stranded crew. 7 men in such a tiny boat in a vast dangerous ocean is truly astonishing.
I will be reading that epic account again when I get home – with a new perspective.
I had the opportunity to experience the local brew and met up with some of the returning ALE staff on their way home after a busy season. Lots of good advice and fascinating experiences ensured we had an enjoyable evening.
Walking back to the hotel with my town guide David we stopped off at the statue of Magellan, where local legend states that you need to kiss the toe of the indian and you will return to Punta. Well I would love to return, but not quite as committed to kiss I gave it a friendly rub instead. This reminds me of a recent business trip to Moscow where there are similar superstitions for the statues on the platforms of the metro stations.
Reporting back to ALE office in the morning for the personal kit issue. For someone who loves good outdoor kit this was like been in a candy store. Row after row of high quality jackets, boots and trousers, hats, gloves….
The efficient Macarena made sure I was issued with the correct size, as this will need to fit over what would otherwise be “fully dressed” for an Apline winter. Feeling a bit like the Michelin Man I was fitted out and now have my santa’s sack to take back to the hotel.
Tomorrow its the safety briefing, Union Glacier arrival instructions and luggage collection……. getting closer now.
After a good nights sleep, I reported in to ALE offices in “Punta” to unpack all the equipment and to get all the batteries on charge. After a fascinating tour of the offices and seeing some of the inspirational images on the walls from all the expeditions that have been handled by ALE you realise that this place is central to so many of the explorers heading to Antartica and their success.
This was also an opportunity to set up the Sirius Pro UAV camera and ensure it was ready for Antartica. After such a long shipping time the camera’s internal batteries could have discharged and would need reconfiguration. However all was good and I proceeded to set up a flight plan around the ALE office and transmit this to the plane. There was no need to make any test flight as the system has a handy test feature to check it is working correctly. When rotating the plane >90 legs the camera activates. All good on the UAV side.
Now to check the Topcon GT robotic. This system is easy to configure and only took a few minutes to confirm all was well. On to the GNSS. I have decided to take Topcon HiPER HR’s for this trip. The advanced tracking and low temperature specification should mean they work well. They can also be configured to work in Base or Rover mode and have internal memory for days of Post Processing data if required. A few spare batteries and external batteries for each receiver should keep me working long hours in Antartica. I have also packed a few extra cables to allow connection to the skidoo batteries too, as a back up plan.
It was easy to get two of the receivers working, but two which were loaned from a different source wouldn’t play ball and fix. Investigation with TRUE software revealed a different radio setting on these two receivers for the FOC – “Forward Error Correction” was off ! Easily rectified when found, and all three rovers were giving fixed positions.
Ready to hand over to the flight freight loading team and then report for my “weather protection clothing” issuing.
It’s kit check day and I’m hoping I haven’t forgotten anything. The first problem of the day already occurred. Plugging in my iPhone to charge and the EU type Apple plug didn’t fit. Odd as my laptop plugged in at the airport. Close inspection revealed that there are very subtle differences in the apple plugs. It’s a good job they fit both chargers then.
Back to the main topic. ALE provide very good kit lists with specific types of clothing which will be required. I was expecting that my outdoor hobbies covered most of this “normal” wear but I also did have a great excuse to go shopping. Laying out all the kit, I have come to realise I should have asked RAB for some support. I do seem to have bought a lot of their clothing. They do make good stuff though.
As Antartica is a protected environment it is necessary to “decontaminate” all equipment and clothing.
Click to access Do_Not_Pack_a_Pest_A4.pdf
I have done this all at home cleaning and checking the velcro cuffs etc. But when you live with two border collies it’s not possible to be “hairless” so I’ve spent the morning removing the traces of hair with a lint roller and I think I’m ready for inspection.
The trick to keeping warm without overheating is layering. Starting at the bottom I have packed lightweight wicking underwear, thermal leggings, PolarTec leggings, wind proof trousers and thermal trousers. For the top it’s similar with wicking merino thermals, PolarTec fleece top, thermal light weight body warmer and down duvet jacket. The serious outer layers I will be borrowing from ALE before the flight.
Thermal liner socks and thick socks go inside my mountaineering boots. I will also borrow some Polar spec boots. And a home comfort: nice warm tent boots for around camp.
Hands are protected by inner gloves and a selection of different thermal spec outer gloves from -9 to -40 deg C. I have to use surveying instruments so I have a wide selection of gloves to see what is the lightest most usable I can get away with. Hats, balaclava, goggles and glacier sunglasses finish it off.
I’ve also packed a drinks bottle and the essential “PEE” bottle as nothing is left on site when we depart. I think I need to hold that thought.
For those interested in the personal kit details take a look here :
https://antarctic-logistics.com/trip/south-pole-flights/required_clothing_equipment_list/
After the long flights I’ve arrived in PA and was met at the airport by ALE. Tomorrow will be the personal kit check and my opportunity to check that all the equipment shipped is all there, charged and configured.
The best way I find to recover after a long journey and to ensure I will sleep well, is to go and take a walk. It helps to get orientated to the new surroundings too.
A few first impressions and also a “famous” land mark I bumped into by accident.
Time to get some dinner and realise how bad my Spanglish is and how easy it is to get by in Europe with my only language – English.
Then retreat to digs for my stay here in town – the comfortable and aptly named Hostel Del la Patagonia.
The adventure has begun.
Topconlife 